Life Tips Daily

This talk of organizing computer space has me thinking about actual cleaning and disinfection of the computer area.

Keyboard and mouse
If the thought of germs makes you ill, then I advise you to step away from your computer because chances are that your computer keyboard and mouse are crawling with germs. But never fear! You too can make your keyboard a thing of beauty and germ-free goodness if you’re willing to.

What you will need:
A disinfecting cleaner
Paper towels and/or microfibre cloths
Cotton swabs
Air duster

Apply your cleaning solution liberally to some paper towel, and wipe down your keyboard and mouse with the paper towel. You may want to make sure that if your computer is turned on at this time, you’re not working on a thesis, book, blog entry or an email to your boss. In fact, just turn the computer off entirely, since you’ll need to have it off for the final step.

Once you’ve done this preliminary wipe-down, you may want to soak some cotton swabs in solution and run them up and down your rows of keyboard keys, grabbing those hard to reach bits of dust and stains from memorable moments such as the time you sprayed (or spilled) coffee all over the keyboard. Or, that time you accidentally dumped purple nail polish all over your keyboard during an unfortunate multitasking incident. A cotton swab will be very helpful as you try to remedy the situation.

Computer screen
Computer screens are delicate things, so you be sure to check that your cleaning solution is computer screen safe. The last thing you want to do is damage the screen! Be sure also to check what sort of cloth or towel is recommended for wiping the screen. The goal is generally to avoid materials that can scratch, so a microfibre cloth is usually a great choice. Microfibre cloths are actually great because they’ll remove the dust even without the addition of any cleaning solution.

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Today’s computer decluttering tip is a good next step once you’ve cleaned both desktops.

Once your desk is cleared off, you may discover that it’s the actual computer desk is hampering your ability to get organized. Perhaps the desk doesn’t have enough space for you to keep all the essentials (speakers, printer, scanner, fax machine) nearby and easy to reach. Maybe the surface of the desk is only big enough to hold a computer screen, while you need space to prop a notebook or a plate of food in front of the screen. Perhaps it’s drawers or shelves that your desk is missing. Whatever it is, do a good evaluation of your setup and figure out what you need to make your computer station the most useful and organized it can be.

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After the encouraging you to declutter your desktop, I stumbled across the following article in a local paper: Conquer your clutter, improve your health. It’s not very long so if you have a moment, I strongly encourage you to read it.

I was shocked to discover that “decluttering guru”, Peter Walsh, who you may have seen on Oprah claims that if you have issues with clutter or hoarding, this problem likely shows up in your health too: if you have a lot of clutter in your life, you are likely fat.

I was alarmed to read this because guess what? I am drowning in clutter and I am overweight. I can’t resist a bargain, I hate paying full price for something and have been known to buy things I don’t need simply because the price was too low to resist and because I was sure that I would one day need the item. I always thought my propensity to buy things and save them for the right moment was a good point, something that spoke well of my thriftiness and the fact that I don’t waste money. I take pride in the fact that family members scour my room for gift ideas before going out to buy something.

But could it be the symptoms of a bigger problem?

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The gifts have been given and opened and hopefully the stress of Christmas is behind you. Now that you have a moment to breathe and reflect on your Christmas experience, take the time to ask yourself the following questions. I will do the same and hopefully you can look back on the answers next year and avoid any pitfalls or unpleasant experiences of this Christmas, and make some tweaks to improve things next year.

1. Did you mail out all the cards/gifts you wanted to? If not, how could the process be improved?
2. Did you get people the gifts you wanted to get them/gifts they had requested? If not, how could this process be improved for next year?
3. What things did you forget to do/omit due to constraints on your time or energy or pocketbook or all three?
4. What did you spend too much energy, time, or money on that didn’t end up being worth it?
5. What changes would you make for next year?

My answers are below:
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Were you wondering when tomorrow would come? Sorry about that: I blinked and Tuesday was gone in a flash. So, are you ready to have the most organized Christmas season you’ve ever had? Ready to make frazzled friends and family members green with envy as you flit through the holidays with a smile on your face and a spring in your step?

Today we’re going to talk all about organizing yourself. Because we all have such diverse families and friends and traditions during the holiday season, it’s hard to hit upon one set of tips that’ll work for everybody. Generally, the larger your family and group of friends, the more organizing is needed (which I’m sure comes as no surprise to you from past experience!). One tool that will help you stay organized during this busy season is a calendar. Along with the decision to use a calendar, you must commit to referring to it regularly, and recording all invitations and plans in it too. Otherwise, it’s just a useless piece of paper.

Get yourself a calendar with nice large boxes for each day for the months of November and December (at least). If January tends to be busy, then print out one for January too. If you’ll be using a two calendar system, your second calendar should be one that is broken down by day into 30 minute or 1 hour increments. In the first calendar, write all the events you have committed yourself to, in the second you can figure out the logistics: if you need two hours to bake the cake you’re taking to the potluck, you may want to make a note of that. Or, if you have multiple events in a day, the second calendar will give you a better idea of how you’re going to juggle all the demands on your time (and person). The second calendar will also let you know if you have 2 hours to drop by at a coworker’s open house (the one you received an invitation for at the last minute).

The large calendar should be posted in a prominent location in the house where you’ll pass it frequently, glance at it and be reminded of your obligations. The weekly calendar should be the one you carry with you, the one you refer to when someone tries to invite you to their daughter’s recital and is wondering if you’re free that evening.

Now some of you might prefer to use electronic calendars, the type found on Outlook or on gmail. and that’s fine. Call me old fashioned but nothing beats filling in a calendar by hand for me—I like seeing my busy schedule on paper for some reason. And the bonus is at Christmas time, when the kids are getting excited over their advent calendars, you can make yourself a colourful calendar…and then eat some chocolate after each update. It’s almost like having your own advent calendar!

This world consists of two kinds of people: those who organize their photos into a photo album (conventional album or on the computer) and those who don’t. I am somewhere in between: my noble goal of ‘albumizing over thirty years of photos several years ago was abandoned within a week due to the sheer enormity of the task and uncertainty that all the photos that needed to be organized were at hand, however I do something that not many of my friends do: I print selected digital camera pictures and attempt to encase them in a photo album as soon as possible.

No matter the scope of the task you are tackling, here are some ways to get it done that won’t leave you surrounded by envelopes full of photos and fists full of your own hair from tearing it out.

Reduce excess packaging
Here, developed photographs come in an envelope, and this envelope is put into a larger one. This large outer envelope has information about what you ordered and the date you dropped off the film or digital pictures to be printed, but is largely useless, unless you develop your pictures the same day you take them: then the outer envelope would be a reminder of when the photos were taken. If you can live without it, get rid of the outer envelope.

Label everything
Label each envelope with the date(s) and occasions that take place within. If you can’t remember the exact date of the event the photos are capturing, put the month and year down, or even the season and year.

Box it
If you like photo boxes, you can put your envelopes, each labelled on the front with the date and occasion within, into a photo box chronologically. I strongly recommend chronological order because photographs capture memories and when you consider a memory, you usually think of when and where an event happened. If the pictures are in a logical order, finding them or filing them will make more sense. You may prefer to remove the pictures from their envelope, but don’t forget to divide each new group of pictures with an index card for easy searching later. Of course you’ll need to label the box at the end so you know what months/years are within.

Book it
And by book it, I mean get those pictures into an album. I prefer albums over photo boxes because of the way they protect photographs that will be handled–the clear plastic photo holders keep someone from smudging or spilling something on your photographs and the rigid structure of the book allows its creator some power over how the photos are experienced.

A final important note is to get your photographs organized as soon as possible, while the old memory can still recall what year the picture was taken in. Trust me on this one.

If you are right in the midst of your vacationing, or will be going on vacation soon, you may find these tips on packing light handy!

Pack double duty items
There are lots of ways to incorporate double duty items: you can pack something that you will wear more than once, such as a pair of jeans, or you can pack items that are a bit more versatile: a button down shirt can be worn as a jacket one day, then tucked in as a blouse the next. You can also pack items of clothing that are convertible, such as a pair of pants that zips off into shorts and/or capri pants, shirts that roll up and button so you can wear it as a long sleeve or short sleeved shirt, a jacket that is water resistant and can serve as a raincoat if needed. Try not to pack anything unless it will serve you more than once.

Know the weather where you’re headed
Check the weather forecast in order to ensure you have what you need. This will prevent you from bringing several outfits for each day just because you don’t know what to expect weather-wise.

Know what you’re wearing when
By planning what you will wear each day, you may notice while packing that you’re packing too much or that some items can do double duty. Taking the time to plan outfits might seem tedious at first, but it will be a space saver later.

Know what is supplied at your destination
If you are staying at a hotel, you don’t need to bring your own towels and there is usually a complimentary hair dryer and iron in your hotel room. Don’t waste space packing these items! If in doubt, you can always call ahead to see what amenities come with your hotel room. If you are staying with friends, the chances that they will have a lot of the appliances you may need are even greater.

Take a larger suitcase!
This is an absolute last resort: if you see that you just can’t pack light, grab a larger suitcase and bask in all the extra room you now have! That doesn’t mean you can add more items to your case though!

pack light, travel light, vacation packing, packing for vacation, pack for vacation

If you have ever lost something and had to find it, you know what a frustrating process this can be. If you misplaced something recently, there is significantly less step-tracing involved but what if you lost something years ago?

I was given the second copy of a key several years ago and I promptly lost it. What made this situation irksome is that the key has a habit of being borrowed by a third party, often without my knowledge. The original owner of the key was not so careless and as a result, did not ever need my spare key so I thought I was safe. However, after almost three years, my luck ran out: the owner of the key locked his key inside a room and my copy of the key was needed to free the other key.

I had no idea where this key was, which led to frustration, but my frustration was twofold: I could not recall where I had put the key and second, I couldn’t recall whether the key had been borrowed and not returned (and alas, neither could the person who tended to borrow this key). Either way, as the person to whom the key was given, it fell on me to find it. When your living quarters best ressemble a warehouse, with boxes, trinkets and knicknacks everywhere, looking for a key becomes a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack. After cursing and checking those parts of my abode that hadn’t been moved around for a few years and not finding the key, I gave up. Then, on a whim, I decided to check one location that I thought was a new addition to my abode and could not possibly contain the key. Within 60 seconds the key was found and years of wondering of where it was was over.

My search techniques were somewhat haphazard but tomorrow I will share with you how to search for something like a pro.

lost something, find, finding lost items, lost and found

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So, why are some people never on time? Most people will have a reason that does not implicate them fully but tardiness is a self inflicted infection. Here are some ways to mimize it:

Book fewer things
If your days are crammed with things to do, and the chance of everything being accomplished on time depends on everything running smoothly, then you’re likely overbooked. Try removing one or two things from your daily list of errands and see if that makes you more on time.

Overestimate the time needed for things
How many times has someone called you, tardy person extraordinaire, to inquire where you are. Don’t you always say you’re “five minutes” away from where you’re supposed to be? Five minutes is never actually five minutes; it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to hours. When tempted to give a time estimate, give yourself more time rather than less. Instead of saying you’re 20 minutes away, try saying 30 or 40 minutes. if you’re not too far gone in the tardy department, doubling the time you usually say should be a more accurate calculation. And on the bright side: if you do arrive earlier than planned, everyone will be happy (unless, of course, you are the recipient of a surprise party).

Plan backwards
You need to be at the party at 5pm but you have other things to do. Start by figuring out how much time you need to get to where you’re going, add a cushion of 10-15 minutes, and working backwards, fit in all the other things that need to be done, again adding a cushion of a few minutes. A plan is great but don’t forget to follow it: wear a watch and put measures into place that will keep you on time, even if it means setting alarms to remind you when you should be moving on to a different task.

Buddy system
If you are always late for events, pair up with someone who is also attending (preferably someone who is always on time!). Give them the authority to keep you in line and on time. After a few times with your punctual friend, you’ll have a better idea of things that work and things that don’t with respect to ensuring that you’re on time.

What tips keep you on time?

late, tardy, tardiness, lateness, being on time, on time

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Tardiness can seem like an incurable disease at times: even when you start preparing for an event 2 hours earlier than you started the time before (when you arrived late), you still end up being late! If this is a regular occurence, never fear: it is possible to find the punctual person within, but first you have to figure out why you’re late.

Many years ago, Dr. Phil chastized a chronically late person, telling her that she was deliberately late (even if she didn’t make the conscious decision before each event that she ended up being late to) because she believed that nothing would start until her arrival. Some people who are late regularly are somewhat selfish, not thinking of how the person waiting on them might feel, but rather focusing on whether being late will affect their own enjoyment of an event. In cases like this it is advised that those who are ready and waiting start the activity as planned, even if the tardy person is not there, and even if the tardy person was supposed to be a part of the event. Unless you receive a call saying that the tardy indivdiual has extenuating circumstances resulting in a tardy arrival, there is no good excuse to be chronically late.

It is also possible that someone is always late for an event because they find that on rare occasions when they happen to arrive on time, they are the ones tapping their foot impatiently while waiting for the stragglers to show up. Of course this is a vicious cycle: you show up late because you don’t want to have to wait for the action to begin only to find out that everyone was waiting for your arrival before starting the event, and when you show up on time and it’s someone else who is late…you get the idea.

Most people who are chronically tardy are also constantly apologizing. When you keep apologizing for the same thing, eventually people are going to start wondeirng why you don’t make a change to this habit you’re always apologizing for. Your apology then begins to lose its genuine and truly remorseful tone. This is another reason to explore the reasons why you’re never on time.

Are you prone to being tardy? Why do you think this is?

late, tardy, tardiness, lateness, being on time, on time

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I’m elbow and calf deep in papers, clothing, unused small kitchen appliances, purses, shoes and garbage bags.

No, I’m not moving, nor am I preparing for a garage sale. I’m simply cleaning my room.

My packrat tendencies are legendary; I hold on to everything. Although I graduated from university three years ago, I still have nearly every sheet of paper I ever wrote on and all of my textbooks. I tried earlier in the month to sell them back to the university for a fraction of their original value (and they were in mint condition too!) but nobody wanted them. I am now torn between keeping them for interest’s sake or donating them. In the meantime, before I go with option 2 (since decluttering is the ultimate goal), I will see if I have better luck selling the textbooks in the fall.

After hours of cleaning, this is what my closet currently looks like (do not judge me quite yet; the rest of the room is much worse):

There is much left to do.

Your Turn: What room/area of your home is most resistant to staying clean and/or organized?

Plenty of companies are making millions of dollars by convincing the fair consumer to purchase their product in order to better organize their lives. From daily planners to PDAs, Blackberrys and other gadgets available, to using a paper calendar or the one that comes with your email program, there are a lot of different ways to stay on top of the many tasks you have to do.

I came across some neat and free (or inexpensive) ways to keep track of what you need to do, from the very basic, to web-based ideas:

Paper to do lists

• Weekly to do list: Traylor Papers
  I like the pretty colours of this pad of paper, but I’d prefer a daily rather than weekly to do list.
• Sticky to do list: Post It Action Notes have room to write items, and afterwards, you can stick the list wherever works best for you-on the fridge, on your forehead, or on the dashboard of the car. The stickiness makes it easy to actually keep the list with you, which is important if crossing tasks off your list is a priority (and it should be!).

Web-based to do lists

• Ta-da Lists
  This site was easy to set up and once you have created a list, you have the option of emailing it to yourself, to others or allowing it to be posted publicly. It took about 30 seconds to sign up and does not require the installation of anything. (Tudu Lists is similar, and just as easy to sign up for, but it doesn’t operate as smoothly as Ta-da does in my opinion).
• Remember the milk
  This is a more robust version than the two web-based to do lists. It’s fun to use and I recommend you try it out! You can include a due date for your tasks, which the other two programs do not allow, and it allows you to transfer your list to your cell phone, several email programs and even to skype! You can print a weekly planner from your to do lists, and you’re provided with an email addresss whereby any emails you send to this address get added to your to do list. It is available in over 10 languages, including Spanish, Italian and French. I have a lot more explorations of this program to do, to see if it works for me and my lifestyle.

And of course, that last part is the key: there are a lot of ways to keep track of the things you want to do. In addition to the ways mentioned, some people record their list (into a recording device) and replay it during the day; others simply give themselves a mental reminder and keep track of all the things they need to do on any given day without the use of paper or other gadgets.

As for me? I use a little planner but I don’t always remember to consult it. So for items I absolutely don’t want to forget I have taken to using post it notes, in different colours to remind me of things. I sit at my computer desk every day and my eyes are drawn frequently to the brightly coloured notes:

Whatever works is the right method for you.

How do you keep track of your to do items?

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organize, to do, to do lists, priorities, tasks

Good day and indeed the day is more than half over. I like to get an entry out earlier in the day so I can hear what you have to say but I was the victim of an ornery laptop so I am in the library of an educational institution pounding out a few thoughts before returning to my conference.

That’s right, I am out of town, and have found myself unexpectedly unprepared to deal with the loss of my laptop (and internet connection by default), so naturally, I’d like to talk today about being prepared.

While it is not possible to be always prepared for whatever life may throw us, I’d like to make the following suggestions on how to make sure that you are prepared for the unexpected somewhat, using my particular case as an example.

Research what you are going to be faced with
Even if you think you are well aware of what you will face, research it because even though you are familiar with the concept or idea in your particular location, perhaps it is different where you are going. Had I taken the time to research the weather in my locale, I may have packed different clothing: instead of my closed toe shoes and pants, I might have brought capri pants and sandals, and allowed my feet to enjoy a little sunshine. This is a very innocuous example of the benefits of researching your new surroundings, but other examples might include researching a different culture that you will be entering to ensure that your speech, manners, dressing will not be offensive to the inhabitants of where you are going. If you are going on a work trip, you may also want to make sure you are familiar with what will be discussed/covered during the trip, and who the key players are.

If you need any supplies/equipment, be sure to obtain these items well in advance
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Spring is here and although you might be able to avoid having a big spring cleaning party, your home sure would appreciate it. There are many important areas to spring clean; here are a few that come to mind:

Closets
Check all the closets that hold outer wear, including boots, hats, mittens, and jackets, looking for dirt, holes, broken zippers, missing buttons or significant wear. If the item can be easily returned to its original state by washing it or repairing a button or zipper, do it. If the item is irreparable, toss it. If the item is in good condition, but will not fit, or may not be the desired style or colour for the following year, there is no reason to keep it: consider donating it to a charity or shelter. Make sure all the items that will be kept are stored neatly, in containers that will keep the humidity and moths out. Label all containers clearly. It is probably easier to store all out of season clothing together for the whole family.

By taking the time to clean and ensure that outerwear and winter footwear are in good condition now, you will be prepared for any freak snowstorms that occur.

Windows
How many people wash their window curtains regularly, or dust their window blinds? I sure don’t! Add to that the fact that at my place, mildew builds up quickly and easily in the winter months, and it especially enjoys hanging out around window frames. Tackle the windows by taking down the curtains or blinds, washing or dusting them, then reinstalling them…but not before using some elbow grease to get rid of the mildew (bleach diluted with water and a brush will have your windows clean again) and you get a bonus arm workout too.

Pantry and Fridge
If you take the time to go through both of these storage areas regularly, then you are to be envied. For the rest of us, exploring the contents of the fridge or pantry can be less than pleasant. The fridge, with its tendency to hold perishables, can yield the most interesting growths products. Most people are good at discarding vegetables and fruit that have begun to exhibit furring or a mushy/watery consistency, but how often do you check the due date on that jar of pickled beets, or salad dressing or mustard? Who checks the due dates on dry cereal or cookies regularly (I don’t have to check the dates on the latter since they never last long enough!)? While you’re waiting for the bleach to burn away the mildew, take a trip to the fridge or pantry and toss anything that is being kept beyond its due date. Be sure to make a list of what you are tossing as you toss them; this way you’ll know exactly what you need to replace.

I have heard that you can keep (and eat!) something beyond its due date if it hasn’t been opened. I’m wary of this and tend to imagine that on the due date, items in these expired containers begin their metamorphosis, from a delicious cup of yogurt to a case of gastroenteritis, just waiting to happen.

What spring cleaning activites do you do each year?

Today I have the day off from my day job, and I should spend this day doing all sorts of things that I put off until I have a spare moment. I’m sure you’re the same: you think of or see something that needs to be done and you have to postpone it until the next time you have enough time to get the task done. I do this all the time and now have a to do list that is humanly impossible to complete in less than 10 days.

I’d like you to provide you with a list of things that can be done during a typical workday if you’re lucky enough to have the day off:

• Sort through your closet with the intention of giving away or selling anything that is too big, too small, too worn, or not your style any longer
• Update your address book (whether you use a little black or pink book, or have it on a spreadsheet) to include the names and addresses of new friends, people who have moved and recently sent you mail with a new mailing address, or just to consolidate all those small scraps of paper you have stuck to the fridge or pinned to the bulletin board
• Make a large batch of cookie dough and freeze the rest for popping in the oven when guests drop by unexpectedly (you will of course have to bake a batch right away to make sure the recipe was followed accurately)
• Wipe down your cupboard doors. I firmly believe that few people do this often enough
• Bond with your bathroom and discard any products that you no longer use (even if they’re still full!), that have expired or any bottles or jars that are empty or whose construction make it impossible to reach that last bit of leftover product
• While you’re in the bathroom, you might want to take note of what regular supplies you’re running low on (toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo?) and add them to your general shopping list, and why not toss that shower curtain in the wash too?
• If you keep your mail in a common area, you may want to sort through this mail and make sure that action has been taken on those time sensitive pieces, and ensure that bills have been paid, magazine subscription renewals mailed back, mail-in contests entered, and the most time consuming: tossing all that junk mail in the recycling box

And if your eight hours are not yet used up, please swing by my home and do the same, and while you’re here, please give me some tips!

organize, clean, clothing, bathroom, kitchen

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